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Buyer refunded and package picked up 4 days later: discovered after 2 years
Good morning everyone,
I’d like to discuss with you a rather unusual situation that I only discovered today.
The story dates back to about two years ago.
I had regularly shipped an item purchased on eBay. The courier had attempted delivery but, not finding the buyer, had left the package at the depot.
The buyer had told me via eBay messages that he would not go and pick it up, claiming that the pickup point was too far away. He later opened a claim for item not received, simply stating: “the package never arrived”.
I pointed out to eBay that the package was being held and that it was the buyer himself who had told me he did not want to pick it up. Despite this, the dispute was closed in the buyer’s favor on 15 March and my appeal was rejected, with a refund issued as a result.
At the time, disheartened, I considered the matter closed.
Today, about two years later, I happened to go back to the old case because eBay is asking me for €2.70 in fees related specifically to handling that dispute.
And that’s where I discovered something I hadn’t noticed back then.
On the same eBay order page it shows “DELIVERED – 19 March”, that is, just FOUR DAYS after the dispute was closed and the refund was issued.
So, to sum up, the buyer:
knew that the package was available at the depot;
had told me he would not go and pick it up;
obtained a refund for item not received;
four days after the refund, the shipment shows as delivered;
I am not aware that he later reported receiving it or returned/paid for the item.
The end result is that the buyer got both the refund and the item, while I lost both.
Beyond the financial aspect, I find the sequence of events particularly odd: stating that you do not want to pick up a package, getting a refund for non-receipt, and then ending up with the item just a few days later seems to me to contain elements at least consistent with improper use of Buyer Protection and potentially with fraudulent conduct.
Obviously I do not intend to make accusations or legal claims, but I think the situation at least deserves a review by eBay.
I already have screenshots of the dispute timeline and, above all, of the eBay page showing the March 19 delivery.
What do you think: even though about two years have passed, does it make sense to ask eBay for a manual review/escalation of the case, considering that the post-refund delivery is recorded in their own systems?
Has anyone ever been in a similar situation and, above all, managed to get the amount credited back?
